Judge halts deportation of Queens immigrant, orders his release

By Erin Durkin

|NEW YORK DAILY NEWS|

Jun 20, 2018 | 7:15 PM

Xiu Qing You (right), 39, of Flushing, Queens, was reunited with his wife Yu Mei Chen and two kids Wednesday night after being freed from detention center when judge temporarily halted his deportation case. (Courtesy of the You Family)

A judge on Wednesday temporarily halted the deportation of a Queens man facing expulsion to China and ordered authorities to release him.

Xiu Qing You, 39, of Flushing, has been in a detention center since last month, when he was arrested at an interview for a green card. His wife and two young kids are American citizens.

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Judge Analisa Torres put a stay on his deportation until his case can be heard, and ordered his immediate release from lockdown in New Jersey. He was released Wednesday night, his lawyer said.

Yu Mei Chen (center), the wife of Xiu Mei Chen, joined dozens who rallied in Foley Square to call for the release of Xiu Qing You, a father of two and husband of a U.S. citizen, who is being detained by ICE. (Jefferson Siegel / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)

The federal government had wanted to deport him by July 1.

“He gets to go back to his family,” said Gregory Copeland of the Legal Aid Society, one of the lawyers representing him.

Elected officials and advocates rallied to You’s aid after the Daily News first reported on his plight last week.

You, who has a 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son with his wife, Yu Mei Chen, had an outstanding deportation order, but was eligible for permanent residency through his marriage.

“Today’s ruling is a sharp rebuke of ICE’s cruel and fanatical crusade to circumvent due process with the goal of tearing families apart,” Copeland said. “Mr. You has lived without incident in this country for years, establishing a family and building a successful small business. Taking that away from him is the antithesis of what America should aspire to stand for.”

The Queens man came to the United States from China in 2000, and was ordered deported after his claim for asylum was rejected. He runs a nail salon with his wife and has no criminal record. His lawyers are attempting to reopen his asylum case, in addition to getting him legal residency through his wife.